Mechanical musical instrument



' (No Modl.) 3 sheets-sheet 1.

. J. H. CHASE.l

MEGHANIGAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

VIII/II/I/I Wammes.-

:sw-www N. PETERS. PhnwLimugmpher. washngton. D. C.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. H. CHASE.

MECHANICAL lMUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(No Model.)

Patented Apr.. 4, 18 82.

3 Sheets-Sheet; 3.

(No Model.)

J. H. CHASE. MBGHANIGAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT;

Patented Apr. 4.1882.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH HERBERT CHASE, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO VALTER F.ABBOT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters-Patent No. 256,101, dated April 4,1882.

Application iled August 15l 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

BeitknownthatI,JosErH HERBERT CHASE, of the city and District ofMontreal, Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments; and Ido herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthesame.

This invention relates to improvements on ro mechanical musicalinstruments, providing in the first place an improved arrangement ofthescale of reeds, whereby the bass or lower part ofthe scale is oppositeto the treble or upper part. This arrangement further allows of aseparate swell for eachthat is to say, the bass and the trebleand italso allows of the use of a tremulant operating on the treble or upperpart of the scale only.

My invention further consists in the combizo nation of a perforatedmusic-sheet, a Enger, a push-pin, a valve, and a reed-chamber providedwith a reduced air-passage arranged below the reeds, the combination andconstruction being such that the reeds are sounded through theinstrumentality ofthe music-sheet and an air-bellows, while by theprovision of the reduced air-passage a spring of comparatively smallforce can be employed for holding` the valve on its seat, whereby thestrain or press- 3o ure necessary on the music-sheet to open the valveis materially reduced.

My invention further consists in an improved form of valve for thebellows and feeders and other points, as will be hereinafter fully de- 35 scribed.

In the drawings hereunto annexed, similar letters of reference indicatelike parts; and Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevation of amechanical musical instrument embody- 4o ing my invention. Fig. 2 is across-section of the lower part of Fig. l on line .o x. Fig. 3 is aninsometrical view of improved valve. Fig. 4 is a plan of the arrangementof the valves to reeds. Fig. 5 shows a portion of the perforatedmusic-sheet. Figs. 6 and 7 are diagrams 'of perforated music-sheets,showing the old style and my new style of location of perforations, saidnew style being required to agree with the novel arrangement, situation,or dis- 5o tributiou of the notes.

(No model.)

Letter A is the reservoir or wind-chest, of ordinary construction.

B are the bellows, and C are the feeders 0r exhausters, according to theclass of instrument. I have, however, shown in the drawings aninstrument intended to be on the exhaust plan.

D are the treble, and E the bass, clefs.

F andG are the respective air-passages from the reeds to the wind-chestA. It will be observed that the passages F and G are of the ordinarylength, allowing freedom tothe reed, but are contracted before comingthrough the board to about half the size. Consequently the valves H willonly require about half the amount of force of the springs I to holdthemr on their seats against the pressure of the incoming air. Thesevalves are each of them operated by a push-pin, K, guided in the usualmanner. 7o

L is a bed for the perforated paper M to pass over and rest upon. Abovethe4 perforated paper is situated a removable gl'ooved bar, N, which isheld in place at its extremities in any desired manner. In the groovesof thebar N are pivoted fin gers O, one of which is provided for eachot' the push-pins K, and operates them whenever an opening in the paperM comes under any one ofthe fingers O. The construction of the fingersis as follows: By a 8o pivot-pin, P, each finger is held in place in thebar N. This pin forms the fulcrum of the finger. Toward one end isattached a link, R, connecting with a spring, S, by which the foot ofthe finger is pressed downward. It will be observed that the said i'ootis provided with anincline,T. Thisincline,actingupontheedge of theperforations in the paper M as the said paper travels along in theordinary manner, causes the finger to move from the position shown at Oto that shown by the vfinger marked O. As it will be seen that the edgesof the paper forming the back end of each perforation are obliged tostand the wear and tea-r of the operation ot' forcing up the fingers Oby 95 acting upon the incline T, it will at'once be understood that itisa great advantage to have the springs used on said fingers O as light aspossible to reduce the wear or strain on the paper as much as possible.As these fingers IOO must have sufficient downward force to overcome thesprings I, the lighter the springs I can be made the less force will berequired from the'lingers O, and consequently less wear and tear on theback edges of the perforations ofthe paper M. 'lhis lightness oftheforce of the springs I is obtained, as has been before said, by reducingthe size of the openings F and G.

Referring to Figs. l and et it will be seen that the rteds are in tworows, ruiming in a continuous sealein each. Those marked D are thetreble and ll the bass, the reeds in the one clef being set intermediatewith those of the other elet'. This` enables the push-pins Kto bebrought into a line of equally-distant pins of halt the space that theywould occupy were all the reeds situated side by side in one line.

In the instruments heretofore constructed the scale has been formedcontinuously from the bass at one end upto the treble at the other; butby my methody I place the reeds alternately, as shown by the iigures l 23 4. 5 G 7 in Fig. 4, and so on up to the end of the scale, to whatevernumber of reeds are employed, so that about half ot' the bass and halfof the treble are situated on each side. In the aforesaid instruments,ifa tremulantis used on either4 side it must be applied to the bassnotes as well as the treble, which gives a very undesirable etl'ect inmany'cases. This objection is altogether obviated by my arrangement ot'the reeds, and it also allows the swells to be applied separately toeither bass or treble. In Fig. 1, A is the swell for the bass, and B theswell for the treble. C is the tremulant, applied, if so desired, onlyto the treble.

In Fig. 3, D represents one side of the bellows or feeders, as the casemay be, having an elongated opening, E', over which is secured a valve,F', constructed as follows: I take a thin piece of wood or othersuitable material, G', a little larger than the size of the opening, andto it attach by glue,&o., a sheet of leather or other flexible materialH, extending beyond the four sides of G a considerable amount, one sidebeing sufficiently extended to serve as an attachment to D, for thepurpose of acting as a hinge for the valve,leaving the opposite side, asshown at l, free to lift.

K is a pad secured on G for the purpose of preventing the valve fromrattling while in operation. The lift of the valve is governed by aknee, L', having one end screwed into D. By making the flexible materialconsiderably larger than the board G the so extended edges are enabledto lie flat or close on D',- although G may be more or less warped, andby the knee L being turned on one side the valve may be turned up andcleaned from any dust that may have become embedded in or stuck to theflexible material H. Instead of governing the liftofthe valve bythe kneeL, a small strap may be attached with buttons, Sac., to govern the lift.This I consider an equivalent.

In the valves heretofore in use, where a simple piece of leather isstretched over a number of perl'orations, if the leather is either tootight or too loose, an objection accrues, and as the leather is alwaysaffected by the dampness or dryness of thc atmosphere, no matter howskillfully the valve is constructed, it will in a short time get out ot'order and will not satisfactorily perform its functions. By myimprovement a much cheaper quality of material for the flexible part ofthe valve may be used, and by the board G being placed over the flexiblematerial and opening E all passage of air through the body of theflexible material is prevented.

lith regard to thepaper M and the arrangement ot' the perforations init, the different rows of perforations alternate-one a bass and theother a treble. Thus the rows of perforations A2 and C2 may be treble,under which circumstances B2 and D2 (see Fig. 5) will be bass, and soincorresponding relation, whatever the number of reeds employed.

That my new method of arranging the musicsheet may be fully understood,Figs. 6 and 7 are given, where the same portion of the same tune isshown arranged inthe old and the new way of location. The sheetsdelineated are arranged for an instrument having twenty-one notes in thescale, eleven of which are bass and ten treble. Now, in these figures itwill be observed that through eleven rows of the notes dotted centerlines are drawn, and these dotted center lines indicate the bass rows,while teil rows have fine solid center lines drawn through them,whichsolid centerlinesindicatethetreble rows. The figures l to 2l at the topofthe rows indicate the corresponding notes in music in cach ligure.From the above it will be seen that in the old way (see Fie. 6) all theconsecutive rows are bass up to and including the eleventh row, and thattheremainder are treble. In my novel arrangement the alternate rows arebass and treble, as indicated by the alternate dotted and solid centerlines, and by the figures at the top also. Now, if we compare the twofigures, 6 and 7, we at once see that although the notes are the same inboth eases, there is, nevertheless, a very great change in the relativelocation of the notes on the sheet of music, so that the one could notbe used in an instrument adapted for the other. The center lines shownwill not be used in ordinary or merchantable sheets of music.

What I claim, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In combination with a perforated sheet of paper, 8mo., the reeds ot'a treble clef, D, set opposite to and intermediate with the reeds of abass clef, E, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

IOO

IOS

IIO

2. In combination with a perforated sheet of l paper, dre., the reeds ofa treble clef, D, set opposite to and intermediately with the reeds of abass clef, E, provided with swell-boards A and B', substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, in a mechanical musical instrument, of theperforated music-sheet M, linger O, push-pin K. valve H, andreed-chamberF, having reduced air-passage and provided with reed, thewhole constructed, arranged, and operating as described, for thepurposes set forth.

4. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination of the pivotedfinger O, provided with incline T, link 1t, spring S, and perforatedpaper M, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. The combination, with a mechanical musical instrument constructed asdescribed, of a perforated music-sheet having the treble notes placed inrows on said sheet, with the bass notes placed in rows on said sheet,and said rows being, furthermore, alternately the one a bass and theneXt a treble row, substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. In the construction of valves to feeders and bellows, thecombination, with the opening` E, ot' the sheetof exiblematerial H',board G', and knee L', the whole constructed, arranged, and operatingsubstantially as described.

7. In combination with a perforated sheetot 25 J. HERBERT CHASE.Witnesses:

CHARLES G. C. SIuPsoN,l W. E. FUDGER.

